The inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships begin in Budapest across three action-packed days and the men’s 1500m battle, including rivals Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Josh Kerr, is expected to be among the highlights alongside Keely Hodgkinson’s latest battle with Audrey Werro in the women’s 800m.

The new competition, which will bring the top level 2026 track season to a close, sees most of the sport’s biggest names face off across three days of action in the Hungarian capital and there is significant prize money up for grabs.

In Friday’s opening session Hodgkinson, Werro and Femke Broeders-Bol all made smooth progress into the 800m final, while Ingebrigtsen stormed to a stunning win in the 5000m to add to the hype around the 1500m clash.

Here is everything you need to know about the competition.

What is the World Athletics Ultimate Championships?

It is a new concept intended to fill the void in non-Olympic or World Championship years, designed to pit the biggest names against each other for what World Athletics have said is the biggest prize pot in track and field.

What is the format?

The idea is to make it fast-paced and action-packed to keep viewers engaged.

Two semi-finals in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 100m hurdles/110m hurdles and 400m hurdles will feature eight athletes and the top four in each will make it through to the final. The 1500m, 5000m and relays will be straight finals.

All field events will be straight finals. World Athletics say that the horizontal jumps and throws will feature four rounds, with each of the eight athletes guaranteed two attempts.

When does the competition take place?

The event will be spread across three days at Budapest’s National Athletics Centre and will run from Friday 11 September Sunday 13 with three-hour sessions each evening.

World Athletics Ultimate Championships schedule

(all times BST)

Friday 11 September: 18:00 – 21:00

18:08: 4×100 relay (mixed) – final

18:13: High jump (women) – final

18:19: 400m (men) – semi-final

18:23: Hammer throw (men) – final

18:38: 400m (women) – semi-final

19:04: 100m hurdles (women) – semi-final

19:08: Pole vault (men) – final

19:21: 110m hurdles (men) – semi-final

19:36: 5,000m (men) – final

19:53: Long jump (women) – final

19:57: 800m (women) – semi-final

20:20: 100m hurdles (women) – final

20:49: 110m hurdles (men) – final

Saturday 11 September: 17:00 – 20:00

17:08: 400m (women) – final

17:13: Javelin (women) – final

17:18: 400m (men) – final

17:26: 800m (men) – semi-final

17:43: Pole vault (women) – final

17:46: 400m hurdles (women) – semi-final

18:04: 100m (women) – semi-final

18:21: 100m (men) – semi-final

18:36: 1,500m (women) – final

18:44: Long jump (men) – final

18:57: 400m hurdle (men) – semi-final

19:18: 800m (women) – final

19:38: 100m (women) – final

19:49: 100m (men) – final

Sunday 11 September: 17:00 – 20:00

17:08: 400m hurdles (women) – final

17:13: Javelin (men) – final

17:18: 200m (men) – semi-final

17:36: 400m hurdles (men) – final

17:44: 200m (women) – semi-final

18:04: High jump (men) – final

18:10: 5,000m (women) – final

18:34: Triple Jump (women) – final

18:41: 800m (men) – final

18:53: 4x400m relay (mixed) – final

19:12: 1,500m (men) – final

19:38: 200m (men) – final

19:49: 200m (women) – final

How can I watch?

For fans in the UK, all three days will be shown live by the BBC. The first two day’s action will be live on BBC Two and Sunday night’s session shown live on BBC One. All three days’ action will also be available to stream on iPlayer.

What is the prize money?

World Athletics are promising a record prize pot of $10m (£7.3m) for the entire championships with top prizes of $150,000 (£110,000) for the winners of the individual events.

The breakneck race to develop artificial intelligence must slow down titans of AI including Elon Musk and Sam Altman have warned.

Their plea comes after the resignation of whistleblower Jacob Coxon, who said that AI is posing an existential threat to humanity as he stepped away from his role with AI firm Anthropic.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay Saturday warning that AI bosses ‘must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models.’

‘Progress will still seem fast, and we must make wise use of the time we gain,’ Amodei wrote. 

The CEO of Anthropic, which produced AI chatbot Claude, said that ‘two things’ had prompted his rethink of the race to develop the technology.  

‘My first concern is that, since roughly this summer, AI has been advancing drastically faster, driven primarily by AI’s growing ability to build the next generation of AI,’ he wrote. 

‘This dynamic is called recursive self-improvement, and it is starting to happen across the industry, including at Anthropic, as we and others have described.’

Sam Altman, the CEO of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, agreed with the Anthropic founder on Saturday, writing on X: ‘I agree with Dario that we need to pace the frontier. 

OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Grok’s Elon Musk agreed with Amodei 

‘This has been a primary topic of discussions we’ve had at OpenAI in recent weeks. Committing to having independent evaluators with employee-like access is a great idea, and we will do the same. We’ll have more to share soon.’ 

Elon Musk, who created Grok, simply wrote: ‘Dario is right.’  

Amodei went on to outline that his ‘second concern’ is the ‘OpenAI-Hugging Face Incident’, in which a ‘swarm of agents essentially acted as a fanatically devoted collective’ and orchestrated cybersecurity attacks. 

It comes after Coxon quit his job at the AI giant and issued a chilling warning over the rapid progress in the technology that he feared could end humanity as soon as 2030.

Coxon announced his departure in a social media post on Tuesday and warned that companies like Anthropic and OpenAI are not ‘acting responsibly.’

‘I resigned from Anthropic today,’ he wrote on X. ‘I spent the last three years doing pretraining research at both OpenAI and Anthropic. 

‘Neither company is acting responsibly. They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives.’

Altman said his company would follow a similar model, while Musk kept it simple, saying: ‘Dario is right’ 

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Superintelligence is the point at which an artificial system becomes more powerful than any individual, company or even nation.

The former researcher of three years continued to plead with the public on X. ‘Do not underestimate the power of this technology,’ Coxon wrote. 

‘These will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources. 

‘We have all witnessed the progress in each of these domains, and progress is not slowing.

‘The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade. This is not a marketing stunt.’

He claimed that while executives and senior researchers ‘couch their phrasing in the press to sound sensible,’ they are privately expressing similar concerns.

Coxon’s comments come shortly after Geoffrey Hinton, a Canadian researcher often referred to as the ‘Godfather of AI’ – warned that super-intelligent systems could ‘lead to human extinction.’

‘We would be very foolish to develop superintelligence now, when there is no scientific consensus it can be developed safely and controllably,’ Dr Hinton said. 

Jacob Coxon, a researcher for OpenAI and Anthropic, announced he quit the business through social media on Tuesday and warned that neither company is ‘acting responsibly’

‘Losing control over AI smarter than ourselves could be catastrophic and could even lead to human extinction.’

In February, Anthropic was accused of endangering national security after Amodei refused to back down over concerns the company’s products could be used in ways that would violate its safeguards.

President Donald Trump slammed the AI firm at the time and said: ‘We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again!’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also deemed the company a ‘supply chain risk,’ a designation typically stamped on foreign adversaries that could derail the company’s critical partnerships with other businesses.

In a statement issued at the time, Anthropic said it would challenge what it called an unprecedented and legally unsound action ‘never before publicly applied to an American company.’

The company had said it sought narrow assurances from the Pentagon that its AI chatbot Claude would not be used for mass surveillance of Americans or in fully autonomous weapons. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials took to social media to chastise Anthropic for failing to allow the military unrestricted use of its AI technology earlier this year

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The Pentagon said it was not interested in such uses and would only deploy the technology in legal ways, but it also insisted on access without any limitations.

‘No amount of intimidation or punishment from the Department of War will change our position on mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons,’ the company said. ‘We will challenge any supply chain risk designation in court.’

Joe Root admits the England side descended into “chaos” before he returned as Test captain but believes things are back on track after sealing a series whitewash over Pakistan.

Root, who previously served as skipper for five years before standing down in 2022, answered his country’s call after the dramatic retirement of Ben Stokes in June.

Stokes announced his shock departure midway through the Trent Bridge decider against New Zealand, having been stood down from the previous match following a disciplinary probe into a nightclub trip with team-mate Gus Atkinson.

Head coach Brendon McCullum was subsequently stripped of his red-ball responsibilities, briefly leaving the Test side with a worrying leadership vacuum.

But Root’s return, in concert with interim head coach Marcus Trescothick, has brought a hat-trick of comfortable wins at Headingley, Lord’s and now Edgbaston, steadying the ship ahead of Stephen Fleming’s arrival as McCullum’s long-term successor.

The Kiwi is due to arrive in the country in the coming days and Root believes he will find a team that has put its turbulent recent past to one side.

“There’s been a lot of chaos around this series before a ball was bowled,” he said after hitting 62 not in Saturday’s eight-wicket win.

“I think the way we’ve handled it on and off the field, the way everyone understands what is expected of them – both as a player and how we want to carry ourselves – is a really good thing.

“It’s been a very unusual summer, hasn’t it? There’s been a lot of different things happen. We had a resignation mid-series, there has been a few off-field incidents and we’ve got a new coach. Whether you call it chaos, whether you call it unusual, whether you call it unsettling, all of those are fair.

“But ultimately, the thing that I care about and the most important thing is what happens from that. I think the way that we’ve responded to that has been excellent. And the fact that there’s now clarity in what is expected of the group moving forward is quite evident. We build on that now.”

Root had only been back in the saddle a matter of days when another alcohol-related incident hit the headlines, with Brydon Carse arrested and later de-arrested outside a Derby nightspot in events that remain under investigation.

He was removed from the squad and has not been picked since, with Root laying down the law about the standards of behaviour he expected from a group that had attracted criticism for being unprofessional.

“When you’re trying to build a culture it doesn’t happen overnight and it doesn’t happen over the course of three or four weeks,” Root reflected.

“It’s going to take time to keep working at that, living it day in and day out, and that’s something we’ll continue to keep working at. We’ve made some really good strides in the right direction.

“We’ve just got to keep doing the right things and if we can align that with playing well and winning series then everything is heading in the right direction.”

Pakistan finally put England under some pressure in Birmingham after flaccid efforts in the first two games.

A stunning cameo from debutant Razaullah left the hosts chasing 130 and two Mohammad Abbas wickets in the first over of the chase caused some jitters before Root and Jordan Cox eased to the line.

“We’ll be better for it, we’ll learn from it and be prepared next time around,” Root said.

“You learn a lot about your team in those kind of situations.”

The restaurant sits on an ‘iconic road full of buzz’

A Cambridge restaurant has been named among the best of its kind. Prana Indian Restaurant on Mill Road has snagged the prestigious title of Best Fine Dining Indian Restaurant 2026 in Cambridge at the LUXlife Hospitality Awards 2026.

The latest achievement continues a standout year for Prana, which claimed the titles of Best Contemporary Indian Restaurant 2026 in Cambridgeshire and the Voters’ Choice Finalist for English Curry Awards 2026. The LUXlife Hospitality Awards celebrates “organisations and professionals delivering outstanding guest experiences and setting new standards in hospitality worldwide”.

Prana celebrated 10-years since its relaunch earlier in 2026, having originally been established on Cambridge’s Mill Road in 2012. Reacting to the restaurant’s latest accolade, owner Kobir Ahmed, said: “When we relaunched Prana in 2016, we wanted to create an Indian dining experience that Cambridge could be proud of.

“Ten years later, to be celebrating our anniversary and continuing to receive recognition like this is an incredible feeling. Being named Best Fine Dining Indian Restaurant 2026 – Cambridge means a huge amount to all of us, particularly in a city with such a diverse and competitive food scene.”

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Prana prides itself on combining traditional Indian flavours with contemporary presentation, quality ingredients, a strong focus on hospitality and the overall dining experience. The restaurant serves a range of dishes including butter chicken, tikka masala, and jalfrezi. For appetisers, the menu offers dishes including samosa chaat and paneer tikka.

The restaurant is open from 5pm to 11pm on Tuesdays to Fridays, 12pm to 2pm and then 5pm until 11pm on Saturdays and 12pm until 2pm and 5pm until 10pm on Sundays.

Mr Ahmed added: “No restaurant wins awards because of one person. This is recognition for our chefs, our front-of-house team and everyone who works incredibly hard behind the scenes. Most importantly, it belongs to our customers.

“We have people who have supported Prana for many years, alongside customers discovering us for the first time. We never take that support for granted.”

Rather than seeing the latest award as a finishing line, Mr Ahmed says it creates an expectation for Prana to continue improving. “Awards raise expectations. If somebody chooses Prana because they’ve heard about us or seen that we’ve won an award, we have to deliver an experience that lives up to it.

“It’s been a very special year for Prana, but we’re certainly not standing still. We’re incredibly proud to represent Mill Road and Cambridge, and we’re excited about what comes next.”

With an average of 4.4 stars out of five on Google among more than 1,000 reviews, the restaurant has made itself a staple food spot for city locals. One customer said they experienced a “really enjoyable curry night with generous portions and bold flavours”.

Another diner wrote: “Nestled in the heart of Mill Road Cambridge (for those not local, an iconic road full of buzz and atmosphere). Prana isn’t just another Indian restaurant – it’s a place where warmth, flavour, and personality come together in every dish. At the heart of it all is Kobir, the owner, whose genuine hospitality sets the tone for the entire experience.”

In his essay, called We Must Pace the Frontier, Amodei pointed out that AI had advanced “drastically faster” including its “ability to build the next generation of AI” – and mentioned an incident involving rival OpenAI which has revealed that agents conducted cybersecurity attacks, external on targets they were not asked to attack in July.

The OpenAI agents had “essentially acted as a fanatically devoted collective”, Amodei said.

OpenAI has said “the significance of the inter-agent communication activity was not apparent to the leaders” until July and the company was slowing down training of certain advanced AI models and tools as a result, noting that there was now an increased risk of AI tools spiraling out of control.

In his essay, Amodei called for “building AI at a balanced rate that aims to ensure its safety while still achieving its benefits”.

This would not mean “halting model training or technical progress, but ensuring companies take adequate time to align and safeguard their models, and for third party evaluators to confirm this”.

He was committing Anthropic to this “unilaterally” – as well as calling on governments “to require other frontier companies to match”.

Amodei said he recognised that regulation might not be able to keep up with the pace of AI, and therefore called on AI companies to “voluntarily work together to set standard” in parallel with regulation.

The Anthropic CEO went on to address the impact that a slowdown would have on the industry and competition with leading developers worldwide, particularly China.

“I believe that if slowing down bought us even an extra year or two before models reach critical levels of capability, and we used that time to advance alignment, we could greatly reduce the risk that something goes seriously wrong,” Amodei said.

This would have to be done in a co-ordinated manner “without sacrificing commercial advantage or the United States’ lead in AI”. Any slowdown would have to be limited, he said, to avoid allowing China to pull ahead.

He urged the US government to take measures so that US companies’ AI chips could not be sold to China – or the technology shared with authoritarian countries.

Amodei’s post has prompted a wide range of responses.

Clement Delangue, the CEO of the AI platform Hugging Face, said he was launching a new project called the Open Alignment Initiative, adding he wanted to be among “embedded evaluators” that Amodei proposed could be part of a solution.

Hugging Face was hacked by OpenAI agents earlier this year prompting an outcry over AI safety.

“Let’s make AI safer by making it more transparent.” Delangue wrote on X.

Elon Musk also voiced his support, writing that “Dario is right”.

Musk, whose SpaceXAI makes the controversial chatbot Grok, once called Anthropic “evil” but has changed his tone since signing a $15bn deal to sell compute capacity to Anthropic in May.

However some observers suggested that Amodei’s post was less about safety than about consolidating control over AI technology.

“Dario makes the case to stop open source and concentrate enormous technological and economic power with Anthropic,” wrote Chamath Palihapitiya, investor and co-host of the tech podcast “All-In”.

Notions of slowing down or even pausing AI development have long been met with such cynicism in certain corners of Silicon Valley, with critics accusing leading AI developers of hyping their technology as a marketing ploy.

Anthropic and OpenAI are both reportedly preparing for potentially record-setting initial public offerings.

Whitegates Nursery has an almost perfect rating of 4.8 stars from more than 1,400 Google reviews.

The centre, in West Rounton, Northallerton, offers a diverse selection of plants, gifts and garden accessories.

(Image: WHITEGATES NURSERY)

One customer left a five-star review and said: “First trip to Whitegate’s Garden Centre today.

“I was blown away by the range of plants and how lush everything looked.

“Not a wilted leaf or snapped stem to be seen.

“Great value for money with this quality of plants.

“Staff were happy to chat and offer advice.

“The cafe was gorgeous, with a great atmosphere.

(Image: WHITEGATES NURSERY)

“Food and drinks were delicious and the range of cakes and treats is fab.

“I plan to visit again very soon (and with a bigger car).”

Whitegates Nursery was established in West Rounton in 1966 by Albert Grainge, his son Bryan and brother-in-law Colin Chapman, with two acres of new greenhouses; it initially grew soft fruit, salads and plants.

The business changed direction when third-generation family member Jonathan Grainge joined after university, switching its focus from flowers to plants.

(Image: WHITEGATES NURSERY)

A new shop opened in 2005, expanding the range of products on offer.

The café opened in April 2018.

In October 2018, BBC Gardeners’ World visited Whitegates, where presenter Adam Frost helped a young customer, Arthur, choose plants for a sensory garden for his sister Charlotte.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited the centre in December 2022, sampling coffee and cake before choosing his Christmas tree.

The café receives consistent praise from customers.

One review said: “We absolutely love Whitegates.

“It’s such a beautiful garden centre with a really amazing cafe.

“I took my mum there yesterday for afternoon tea for Mother’s Day and as always the food was so gorgeous we really couldn’t fault it at all and it was so beautifully presented .

(Image: WHITEGATES NURSERY)

“The staff in the cafe are fantastic, they are just so friendly and welcoming they always meet you with a smile and nothing is ever too much trouble for them.

“I highly recommend anyone to go and visit Whitegates and pop into the cafe and try it for themselves.

“It really doesn’t matter which part of the day you go you will always find the food and the staff amazing.

“The food is all homemade and you really want to see the selection of cakes they have on display.”

The café offers a selection of food including breakfast, pies, afternoon tea, sweet treats and more.

The garden centre is celebrating its 60th anniversary this week.

(Image: WHITEGATES NURSERY)

To mark the anniversary, gardening club members will get £5 off when they spend more than £30.

Gift cards are also available.

The opening times are:

• Garden Centre: Monday to Saturday – 9am-5pm, Sunday – 10am-4pm
• Café: 9.30am-4.30pm

China has been accused of helping Iran carry out a deadly drone and missile attack on American troops, according to a new report.

Beijing reportedly supplied Tehran with high quality satellite images before Iran struck the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on July 17, sources told the Wall Street Journal.

The attack took place while service members were sleeping, killing three and injuring four others. 

The strike was part of three attacks at the base in just 24 hours that marked a pivotal escalation in the war. 

The alleged collaboration provides the strongest evidence yet of the depths of China’s support for Iran n during the conflict with the US, according to officials who also noted that the alleged collusion is proving deadly.

US officials familiar with the details said that the satellite imagery was likely one of several tools Iran used to identify a strike location. 

The imagery helps analyze an attack’s effectiveness and where to strike again. Iran also uses its own satellite technology and imagery from Russia, sources told the Journal. 

The US reportedly questioned Chinese counterparts on the technology, but they refused to acknowledge that their companies were connected. 

Iran struck the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on July 17, resulting in three fatalities. The victims were honored at a military ceremony on July 22 

Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth saluted soldiers as they carried fallen service members 

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A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy argued that China’s alleged cooperation with Iran did not violate international law, adding that the allegations were ‘maliciously linking and smearing other countries.’ 

The discovery could complicate Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first visit to Washington DC in a decade, which is set to take place on September 24. 

Trump visited Beijing last May to smooth over tensions over sanctions and export restrictions. 

The two met last year to extend a truce that paused additional US tariffs and postponed China’s plan to enforce a tax on its rare-earth exports. The truce expires on November 10. 

China also has its eye on dominance in the Middle East, supplying Iran with resources to destabilize the region. 

The State Department announced sanctions on China-based entities in May for providing satellite imagery that enabled Iranian military strikes. 

‘The United States will continue to take action to hold China-based entities accountable for their support to Iran and ensure Iran cannot reconstitute its proliferation-sensitive programs following Operation Epic Fury,’ the department said in a fact sheet. 

‘The targeting of US service members and partners will not go unanswered.’

The department claimed that Meentropy Technology, a China-based geospatial intelligence firm, published open-source images of US military activity, and a company called Earth Eye shared satellite imagery with Iran. 

Footage showed Iranian ballistic missiles striking the base. It is now believed that Iran used Chinese satellite technology to aid the strike 

Three soldiers were killed at the Jordan air base in July (left to right): Pvt Isabella Gonzales, 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan and Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad

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MizarVision, Earth Eye and Chang Guang faced sanctions in the spring after the Trump administration accused them of providing images that could help Iran target US forces. 

Chang Guang was also accused of providing satellite imagery to the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen last year.  

Sources did not share which companies were involved with the July 17 attack. Private companies still operate under government oversight in China and often have ties to the Communist Party. 

Three soldiers at the base were later identified as the fatalities in the strike. 

Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii, and Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas, were the first victims publicly identified. 

New Yorker Angel Rampersad, 28, was briefly reported as missing before her remains were also discovered.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced after the attacks that it was retaliating against Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, but did not initially disclose the strikes on American troops in Jordan.

In the days after the July 17 attack, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and told reporters afterward: ‘Nothing that China has done has in any way changed the trajectory of the conflict.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Pentagon, the White House and the Chinese Embassy for comment.  

Crew from Red Bay RNLI rushed to the rescue of a 46ft yacht that got into difficulty off the coast of Cushendall, Northern Ireland, in harsh weather conditions

Six people were rescued from a yacht after a dramatic seven-hour rescue operation by the RNLI in brutal gale-force conditions at sea.

The crew of Red Bay RNLI launched after the crew of a 46ft yacht got into difficulty off the coast of Cushendall, Northern Ireland, and sent out a Mayday while on a passenger from Oban in Scotland to Portugal.

Belfast Coastguard received the emergency message from the stricken vessel which had lost all power and steering after making contact with a fish farm in Red Bay in 60-knot winds, becoming trapped..

The RNLI lifeboat under Coxswain Paddy McLaughlin and with five crew members onboard, launched at 3.22am this morning and made its way the short distance to the scene. The inshore lifeboat from Red Bay RNLI also launched to assist.

Weather conditions were difficult throughout the call-out, with force nine gusting winds, driving rain, and the darkness of night.

Once on scene, the RNLI crew found that all onboard were safe but trapped due to the yacht having got entangled on the fish cages, reported BelfastLive.

Given the difficult weather and sea conditions, the Coxswain made the decision that the safest course of action was for the sailors to remain onboard the yacht and for the lifeboat to stand by until daylight broke at 7:30am.

At 9:30am, the lifeboat crew successfully freed the yacht from the fish farm and brought the sailors safely to Glenarm, where they arrived at 10am and were assisted by Larne Coastguard.

Speaking following the call out, Mr McLaughlin said: “This was a challenging call out in difficult weather conditions, but we were delighted to bring the sailors to safety, and we would like to wish them well.

“We would also like to commend our colleagues in the Coastguard and thank our crew who responded quickly in the middle of the night, launched our lifeboats in darkness and made their way to the scene in what were gale force conditions, and for then spending seven hours at sea.

“This shout was a great example of the selfless and dedicated efforts of volunteers who used their skills and training to bring six people to safety in what was a challenging operation.”

The yacht got into difficulty off the coast of Northern Ireland while travelling from Oban in Scotland to Portugal

Six people have been rescued by Red Bay RNLI during a seven-hour operation in gale-force conditions after a 46ft yacht got into difficulty off the coast of Cushendall.

The volunteer crew were requested to launch their all-weather lifeboat at 3:22am this morning (Saturday, 12 September) after Belfast Coastguard received a Mayday from the vessel, which got into difficulty while on passage from Oban in Scotland to Portugal. The yacht lost all power and steering after making contact with a fish farm in Red Bay in 60-knot winds, becoming trapped.

The lifeboat under Coxswain Paddy McLaughin and with five crew members onboard, launched immediately and made its way the short distance to the scene. The inshore lifeboat from Red Bay RNLI also launched to assist.

Weather conditions were difficult throughout the call-out, with Force 9 gusting winds, driving rain, and the darkness of night.

Once on scene, the crew observed that all onboard were safe but trapped due to the yacht having got entangled on the fish cages.

Given the difficult weather and sea conditions, the Coxswain made the decision that the safest course of action was for the sailors to remain onboard the yacht and for the lifeboat to stand by until daylight broke at 7:30am.

At 9:30am, the lifeboat crew successfully freed the yacht from the fish farm and brought the sailors safely to Glenarm, where they arrived at 10am and were assisted by Larne Coastguard.

Speaking following the call out, Paddy McLaughlin, Red Bay RNLI Coxswain said: ‘This was a challenging call out in difficult weather conditions, but we were delighted to bring the sailors to safety, and we would like to wish them well.

“We would also like to commend our colleagues in the Coastguard and thank our crew who responded quickly in the middle of the night, launched our lifeboats in darkness and made their way to the scene in what were gale force conditions, and for then spending seven hours at sea.

“This shout was a great example of the selfless and dedicated efforts of volunteers who used their skills and training to bring six people to safety in what was a challenging operation.”

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